She lives in Washington, D.C. She has a job in the White House. And she’s too young to serve in the U.S. Senate.
So, why is Democrat Chris Pappas slamming White House spokeswoman and Granite State native Karoline Leavitt as part of his Senate campaign?
Pappas, who currently represents New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, is the only announced major candidate in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Former ambassador and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is widely expected to seek the GOP nomination, and Granite State Democrats have already turned their fire on him.
But it’s Leavitt, not Brown, that Pappas is bashing.
“Chris Pappas here. I’m sorry about Karoline Leavitt,” the message begins.
“Before she was White House Press Secretary, Leavitt actually ran for Congress against me and lost big time. She used that campaign to fine-tune the MAGA lies she spews from behind the podium today.
“So I’m sorry for subjecting America to Karoline Leavitt, but I’ll never regret fighting back against MAGA liars who think they can buy New Hampshire. It’s going to take everything we have to beat them, from all of us,” the message concludes, along with a link to an ActBlue fundraising page for his Senate race.
Pappas and his campaign declined to respond to multiple requests for comment.
One Republican considering a run to fill the 1st District vacancy, Manchester Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur, posted the Pappas text on social media.
“The veil has been lifted on the pretend nice guy act known as Chris Pappas,” Levasseur told NHJournal. “Sending out such a nasty email like this on Karoline Leavitt, especially on Good Friday, shows the world the spoiled little mean guy he’s always kept hidden.”
Levasseur and other New Hampshire political veterans say this attack is “out of character” for Pappas. They believe it’s part of the campaign’s attempt to match the mild-mannered establishment Democrat with the mood of the agitated, angry Democratic base.
For example, over the weekend, Pappas made his first-ever appearance on the “hyper-partisan Left” MeidasTouch podcast, the kind of venue the Manchester Democrat would have avoided in the past.
And then there’s his decision to attack a fellow Granite Stater who, regardless of party, is viewed as a New Hampshire success story. That, too, isn’t typical Pappas politics.
“Very aggressive for Pappas, and probably unnecessary,” said veteran GOP comms pro Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos.
Brown, who is currently Pappas’ most likely general election opponent, takes a very different view of Leavitt.
“Karoline is making New Hampshire proud as not only the youngest White House press secretary in history, but also one of the most effective,” Brown told NHJournal.
Brown also took issue with Pappas’ “apology” to America for Leavitt’s success.
“If Congressman Pappas and the rest of the New Hampshire delegation are seeking to apologize for the error of their ways, they should start with their lies defending Joe Biden’s mental acuity and competence, and then move onto their votes for men in women’s sports, defending illegal aliens, open borders, defunding the police, and the rest of the insanity that drives today’s Democratic Party.”
